Attachment device

ABSTRACT

The disclosure describes a removable attachment device for storing the artist&#39;&#39;s unmixed pigments on his palette. The device comprises a tray for holding the pigments and a resilient, removable clip which removably retains the tray on the palette and is mounted in a forwardly open, depending channel on the underside of the tray. The clip and tray are mutually configured to permit attachment of the device to palettes of varying thickness.

United States Patent [191 Suvada June 26, 1973 [54} ATTACHMENT DEVICE 2,370,446 2/1945 Buchanan 24/73 FT X [76] Inventor' g ssgi s j 33 122m! Primary Examiner-James T. McCall Assistant Examiner-Glenn O. Finch 1 Filedl P 1972 Attorney-Albert R. Teare et a1. 21 Appl. No.: 244,135

[57] ABSTRACT 52 U.S. c1. 108/43, 108/91 The discbsure describes a remvable attachment 511 1m. (:1 A47b 23/00 vice Wing the artists unmixed Pigments his [58] Field of Search 108/43, 91, 42, 44, The device a my hiding the 108/14; 24/255, 73 673 pigments and a resilient, removable clip which removably retains the tray on the palette and is mounted in [56] References Cited a forwardly open, depending channel on the underside UNITED STATES PATENTS of the tray. The clip and tray are mutually configured to permit attachment of the device to palettes of vary- 2,763,949 9/1956 Shvade 108/91 ing thickness 1,736,558 11/1929 Buren 24/67.3 2,644,216 7/1953 Aleshin 24/255 FH X 10 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures ATTACHMENT DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for attachment to an artists palette. More specifically, it relates to a tray which is removably attached to the artists palette and which holds his unmixed pigments.

2. Description of the Prior Art Heretofore, guantities of pigments were squeezed from their tubes directly onto the artists palette. The artist then took smaller quantities of these pigments from their various locations on his palette and mixed them together in other locations on the palette to get the colors he desired for use in his painting. This technique suffered from two major disadvantages. The absence of any physical structure on the palette for ordering or classifying the unmixed pigments permitted the pigments to be laid down on the palette in a disorganizecl and confused array of both the unmixed pigments and the mixed colors. Further, the palette was used for both the storage of unmixed pigments and the mixing of colors which meant that the palette was not fully utilized for the mixing of colors.

Attachment devices have been available for storing guantities of unmixed pigments on the palette in an orderly array without consuming too much mixing area. However, these devices are not easily attachable to palettes of different thicknesses. Since artists palettes are not uniform and may even be made by the artist himself from available materials of varying thickness, such as cardboard, hardboard or plywood, this has posed a significant problem to the effective use of these pigment classifying and storing devices. In addition, these devices increased the unmixed pigment storage capacity of the palette by only a slight amount of their theoretical capability.

An example of a prior attachment device of the type of which the present invention is an improvement may be found in the US. Pat. No. 2,763,949, issued Sept. 25, 1956 to Paul Suvada.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates an attachment device for storing unmixed pigments on an artist's palette in an orderly array while minimizing the amount of surface area on the palette which is consumed by a storage function and not available for mixing purposes. This may preferably be provided by an attachment device which generally comprises a tray with a base plate and an upstanding rear flange, both of which are adapted to extend beyond the periphery of the palette to which the device is attached. The tray is preferably provided with a depending channel means in which at least one resilient, removable clip is mounted for removably securing the attachment device to the palette. Preferably, this tray and clip may be mutually configured to permit easy attachment of the device to a variety of palettes of different thicknesses.

The foregoing objectives and advantages, as well as additional objectives and advantages, will be more clearly understood by referring to the following disclosure and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view, on a reduced scale, of an artist's palette P with a pair of attachment devices 1 of the present invention installed on two of its peripheral edges;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a tray 10 of the attachment device 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a removable clip 30 of the attachment device 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view, partially in section, of the attachment device 1 of the present invention with a clip 30 installed in tray 10;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view, partially in section and partially broken away, of the attachment device 1 of FIG. 4 installed on a palette P with a quantity of unmixed pigment disposed on tray 10;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view, partially in section and on a slightly reduced scale, of a pair of the attachment devices 1 of FIG. 4 interfitted to form a storage assembly 2 of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a front elevation view, on a reduced scale, of the attachment device of FIG. 4 with quantities of unmixed pigment disposed on it.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The attachment device 1 (FIG. 4) of the present invention generally comprises a tray 10 (FIG. 2) for holding the artists unmixed pigments in an orderly and space-conserving array on his palette P and at least one removable mounting clip 30 (FIG. 3) for detachably mounting the tray 10 on the palette P, as has been illustrated in FIG. 1. When the device 1 is in use, it is attached to a peripheral edge of the artists palette and the artists pigments are squeezed from their tubes in an unmixed condition onto the tray in individual quantities. Smaller amounts of pigment may then be transferred from these individual quantities onto the surface of the palette proper where they are intermixed to create the colors that the artist desires. The attachment device 1, therefore, acts as a space-conserving reservoir for unmixed pigments. To gain the maximum utility from these pigments, which are one of the major expenses in painting, they should be readily storable in such a way that they are preserved for later use. Consequently, the attachment device 1 is easily attachable and detachable to and from the palette so that the device 1 (with its pigments) can be removed and the pigments preserved, such as by submersion of the tray 10 in Water. Due to the non-uniformity, particularly in thickness, of the various palettes that the artist may use, the device 1 must be capable of easy attachment to various palette thicknesses.

The tray 10 is suitably configured to provide a substrate for the unmixed pigments and to accommodate a means for ready attachment and detachment to the artists palette, particularly to various palettes of different thicknesses. The tray 10 (FIG. 2) is provided with a horizontal plate 11 and an upstanding rear flange 12 for supporting the various dabs of unmixed pigment and with a forwardly-open, depending channel 13 to accommodate the mounting clip 30.

The plate 11 extends in a generally horizontal plane and for the length of the device 1. The length should be approximately equal to at least the shortest peripheral edge of the palette P so as to provide sufficient area for unmixed pigment storage (see FIG. 1.) The plate 11 extends in a widthwise direction sufficiently far to overlie the depending channel 13 so that both the front edge 14 and the rear edge 15 of the plate 11 extend beyond the front and rear periphery of the channel 13, respectively. In this way, the plate 11 extends both farther onto and also farther out away from the palette P than the channel 13. This provides a relatively broad auxiliary surface for placing and storing the unmixed pigments while minimizing the amount of valuable surface area on the palette itself which is consumed by storing' the unmixed pigments, and therefore, unavailable for mixing colors. Preferably, the front edge 14 of the plate 11 comprises a slightly depending apron 16 which extends outwardly and slightly downwardly from the front portion of the plate 1 1. The declining upper surface of this apron 16 provides a smooth transition between the general plane of the upper surface of the palette P and the slightly raised, upper surface of the plate 11. The lower leading edge of the apron is the lowermost extremity of the plate 11 and grippingly engages the upper surface of the palette P to assist in attaching the device 1 to the palette P.

The rear flange 12 is integral with and extends angularly upwardly and rearwardly from the rear edge of the plate 11, thereby adding to the vertical and horizontal extent of the tray 10. By increasing both the vertical and horizontal extent of the tray 10, it increases the storage capacity of the tray 10. Unmixed pigment which is placed on the plate 11 can also be placed against this rear flange 12. The upper end portion 17 of the rear flange 12 extends rearwardly and slightly upwardly and then forwardly and slightly upwardly in a reverse direction to form a forwardly-open, V-shaped groove 18 which terminates the rear flange 12. This permits a pair of the attachment devices 1 to form a storage assembly 2 by inverting one of the devices 1 and inserting the depending apron 16 of each one in the V-shaped groove 18 of the other and retaining the two devices 1 in this orientation, such as by rubber bands around the assembly 2 (FIG. 6). This provides an elongated container which is open at both ends and readily submersible in water to preserve the unused, unmixed pigments.

The depending channel 13 is generally U-shaped in configuration and is generally defined by an angularly depending rear wall 19, a horizontally extending base 20, and an upstanding front stop 21. The rear wall 19 depends angularly downwardly and rearwardly from a point on the lower surface of the plate 11 which is spaced forwardly of the rear edge 15 to a point in space which is spaced forwardly of the rear periphery of the base plate 1 1. The rear wall 19 provides a rigid securement of the channel 13 to the base plate 11, as well as a rear stop for the resilient clip 30. The base 20 extends in a generally horizontal plane and provides a rigid interconnection of the rear stop (the wall 19') and the front stop 21. The front stop 21 extends angularly upwardly and rearwardly from the front edge of the base 20 to provide not only a stop against forward horizontal movement of the resilient clip 30 but also against vertical, lifting movement of the clip 30. The upper edge 22 of the front stop 21 is spaced from both the lower surface of the base plate 11 and the lower leading edge of the apron 16 by a vertical distance which is preferably at least equal to the maximum thickness normally encountered on an artist's palette. This provides the needed clearance for inserting the palette P into the channel 13 with the clip 30 installed in it.

As shown and described, and in its preferred embodiment, the plate 11 (with its depending apron 16), the

rear flange 12 (with its forwardly open groove 18) and the channel 13 with its rear wall 19, base 20 and front stop 21) are all co-extensive in length.

Preferably, the tray 10 is formed of a rigid and generally corrosion-resistant material which can be conveniently and economically formed into the desired configuration. The preferred material is aluminum metal which has been formed into the desired configuration by extrusion. An alternative material is a synthetic polymer or plastic.

The resilient, removable clip 30 generally comprises an upstanding rear leg 31, an inclined front leg 32 and interconnecting web 33 (FIG. 3). The rear leg 31 extends generally vertically upwardly from the rear edge of the web 33 to a vertical height which is less than the corresponding vertical heights of both the rear wall 19 of the channel 13 and of the channel itself so that-it can conveniently fit into the channel 13 without fouling itself on the lower surface of the plate 11. This dimensional relationship also permits the rear leg 31 to flex forwardly when in place in the channel 13 without abutting and being limited by the plate 11. The interconnecting web 33 extends generally horizontally between the rear leg 31 and the front leg 32, but has a slightly convex curvature in side elevation. This slight convex curvature permits the web 33 to flex slightly and to urge its front and rear edges into engagement with the rear wall 19 and the front stop 21, respectively. The front edge of the web 33 connects and merges with the front leg 32 via a reverse bent portion 34 which abuts against the front stop 21 and spaces the lower end of the front leg 32 slightly rearwardly of the stop 21. This spacing prevents premature flexing of the front leg 32 which might occur if the leg 32 itself abutted the stop 21. The front leg 32 is preferably comprised of a first portion 35 which extends generally upwardly and rearwardly and a second portion 36 which merges with the upper end of the first portion 35 and which extends rearwardly and slightly upwardly from it. The juncture of the first and second portions provides a smooth camming surface 37 for engaging the lower surface of the palette P (FIG. 5).

The clip 30 is preferably an integral unit which may be bent from a single blank of resilient sheet material. A preferred material having the desired resiliency characteristics and general corrosion resistance is stainless steel sheet metal.

The attachment device 1 may be assembled in two ways by inserting the clip 30 into the channel 13 from the front of the tray 10 or by sliding the clip 30 into the channel 13 from the side of the tray 10. The preferred method is to insert the clip 30 from the front. In following this method, one should insert the upper end of the rear leg 31 under the apron 16 and pivot the lower end of the rear leg 31 rearwardly until it had passed over the front stop 21. Then one should flex the front leg 32 downwardly and rearwardly and pass the camming surface 37 beneath the apron 16 and rearwardly of its front edge. At this point the front leg 32 can be released and the clip 30 slid rearwardly until the upper end of the rear leg 31 engages the rear wall 19.

Then the reverse bent portion 34 is urged rearwardly up and over the front stop 21 against the resilient force of the rear leg 31 until the reverse bent portion 34 has cleared the front stop 21 and the clip 30 has snapped into place.

In the second method of insertion, one should flex the rear leg 31 forwardly and the front leg 32 rearwardly while squeezing the front and rear edges of the web 33 toward each other and then inserting the clip 30 into the channel 13. This method is more difficult than the first.

In the assembled state of the device 1 (FIG. 4), the rear leg 31 is resiliently flexed forwardly and the front leg 32 is resiliently flexed rearwardly and downwardly to resiliently clamp the clip 30 into place in the channel 13. Since the interconnecting web 33 is both curved and longer than the distance between the front stop 21 and the rear wall 19 into which it fits, it also helps to retain the clip 30 in place. Also, the camming surface 37 abuts the lower surface of the plate 11 so that the first portion 35 provides an inclined surface against which the palette P can slide during the attachment operation.

The attachment device is placed on the artist's palette by inserting the peripheral edge of the palette P between the lower edge of the apron l6 and the upper end of the front stop 21 until it engages the inclined first portion 35 of the front leg 32. The peripheral edge is then urged rearwardly, thereby flexing the front leg 32 and sliding the lower surface of the palette P along the camming surface 37, until the peripheral edge abuts and stops against the rear wall 19 of the channel 13. In the attached state of the device 1, the palette P is resiliently clamped by the clip 30 between the lower surfaces of the plate 1 l and the apron l6 and the camming surface 37 of the front leg 32 (or the upper surface of the first portion 35, that of the second portion or even the upper edge of the front leg 32, depending on the thickness of the palette). Due to the dimensional relationships between the clip 30 and the tray and due to the resilient character of the clip 30, the attachment device 1 is capable of accommodating various palette thicknesses. While the device 1 has been disclosed using a single clip 30 for securing the tray 10 to the palette (FIG. 7), two or more may be used.

By the foregoing arrangement of elements and their interrelationship, a novel attachment device for an artists palette is provided. This device provides an orderly storage space for the artists unmixed pigments while minimizing the amount of surface area on the palette which it consumes. This maximizes the amount of mixing area available to the artist. In fact, the device provides storage area for the unmixed pigment outside the periphery of the artists palette as may be seen by noting the location of the quantity of paint Q in relation to the edge of the palette P in FIG. 5.

Further, the device is capable of being attached to a variety of palette thicknesses, thereby increasing the applicability of the device to a particular artists palette.

In addition to the foregoing advantages, the device provides a corrosion-resistant construction which can readily form a storage container or assembly for submersion in water to preserve the pigments for later use. The retaining clips may be easily and economically made and attached to the device. In the event that a clip fatigues and breaks, it may be readily replaced since it is a separate, detachable component. The clip construction permits a relatively small breadth clip to be used to hold a relatively long tray on the palette. Ad- 6 ditional advantages appear in the previous description of the device and its component elements.

The terms and expressions which have been used are used as terms of description and not of limitation and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of any of the features shown or described, or portions thereof, and it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

I claim:

1. An attachment device adapted for removable attachment to an artists palette comprising,

a tray member provided with a horizontal plate,

an upstanding rear flange which extends upwardly from said plate,

a forwardly open channel member which depends from'said base plate, and

a resilient clip member adapted for placement in said channel for attaching said device to said palette, said clip member comprising an upstanding, inclined, resilient front leg,

an upstanding rear leg, and

a web interconnecting said front and rear legs, said clip member further including a reverse bent portion between said web and said front leg.

2. An attachment device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said clip member includes an inclined, upstanding resilien t front leg which is adapted to resiliently engage and grip the artists palette.

3. An attachment device inaccordance with claim 1, wherein said horizontal plate extends rearwardly beyond the rear periphery of said channel member.

4. An attachment device in accordance with claim 3, wherein said rear flange extends angularly upwardly and rear wardly from the rear periphery of said horizontal plate.

5. An attachment device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said channel member comprises an inclined rear wall,

an upstanding front stop, and

a horizontal base interconnecting said rear wall and said front stop.

6. An attachment device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plate includes a depending apron extending forwardly from the front edge thereof.

7. An attachment device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said rear wall includes a forwardly-open groove at the upper end thereof.

8. An attachment device in accordance with claim 2 wherein said front leg includes a first portion which inclines upwardly and rearwardly,

a second portion which extends primarily rearwardly, and

a camming surface interconnecting said first and cry of said channel member, and said flange extends angularly upwardly and rearwardly from the rear edge of said plate. 

1. An attachment device adapted for removable attachment to an artist''s palette comprising, a tray member provided with a horizontal plate, an upstanding rear flange which extends upwardly from said plate, a forwardly open channel member which depends from said base plate, and a resilient clip member adapted for placement in said channel for attaching said device to said palette, said clip member comprising an upstanding, inclined, resilient front leg, an upstanding rear leg, and a web interconnecting said front and rear legs, said clip member further including a reverse bent portion between said web and said front leg.
 2. An attachment device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said clip member includes an inclined, upstanding resilient front leg which is adapted to resiliently engage and grip the artist''s palette.
 3. An attachment device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said horizontal plate extends rearwardly beyond the rear periphery of said channel member.
 4. An attachment device in accordance with claim 3, wherein said rear flange extends angularly upwardly and rearwardly from the rear periphery of said horizontal plate.
 5. An attachment device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said channel member comprises an inclined rear wall, an upstanding front stop, and a horizontal base interconnecting said rear wall and said front stop.
 6. An attachment device in accordance wIth claim 1, wherein said plate includes a depending apron extending forwardly from the front edge thereof.
 7. An attachment device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said rear wall includes a forwardly-open groove at the upper end thereof.
 8. An attachment device in accordance with claim 2, wherein said front leg includes a first portion which inclines upwardly and rearwardly, a second portion which extends primarily rearwardly, and a camming surface interconnecting said first and second portions.
 9. An attachment device in accordance with claim 7, wherein said groove extends upwardly and rearwardly and then forwardly and upwardly in a reverse direction to provide a forwardly-open, V-shaped configuration.
 10. An attachment device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plate extends rearwardly beyond the rear periphery of said channel member, and said flange extends angularly upwardly and rearwardly from the rear edge of said plate. 